In the blink of an eye, the Dallas Mavericks became playoff contenders.

Given the moving parts of the already difficult-to-navigate Western Conference, it seemed like a tall order to take a 24-win team and elevate them within striking range of the top eight. But then they acquired wunderkind Luka Dončić on draft night, signed DeAndre Jordan and dragged back Dirk Nowitzki for another rodeo. Of course, having postseason aspirations are certainly different than actually achieving those lofty goals, but the Mavericks — now in the midst of their longest playoff drought since 1999-00 — have plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

Dennis Smith Jr. is still leaping out of the building, Dončić looks ready-made to contribute and Harris Barnes — the team’s most expensive asset — didn’t make his season debut until last night. Still, the Mavericks’ record stands at a respectable 2-3: Without Barnes, without Nowitzki and with wins against some mid-level league talents. Yes, the headlines belong to the moneymakers, the former All-Stars and presumed future ones. And yet, part of the reason the Mavericks currently figure in the postseason conversation at all, and will continue to do so throughout the year, is in big part thanks to a cast of unsung heroes, both young and old.

This discussion must begin with Wes Matthews, an elite sharpshooter that’s taken control over the offense with Barnes and Nowitzki on the shelf. Through five games, Matthews is hoisting up a ridiculous 10.2 three-pointers per contest and knocking down 3.6 of them, tied for the eighth-best mark across the league. Ahead of him, naturally, are just the annually great: Stephen Curry (6.5), Kemba Walker (4.8), Khris Middleton (4.4), J.J. Redick (4), James Harden (3.8), Joe Ingles (3.8) and the surprising Blake Griffin (3.8). If the Mavericks can get a full season of volume shooting like this from deep out of Matthews, they’ll be in a great position come springtime. Mathews is on pace to set a career-high in points, perhaps unsustainable given the injuries so far, but nevertheless: He’s healthy and on a tear.

Although hovering a bit below his career average in three-point percentage (38.3), Matthews has been Dallas’ leader from beyond the arc in every season since he arrived in 2015 — that assuredly will not change anytime soon, either.

On tap next is the NBA’s twelfth-best assister — is it Smith Jr.? Maybe the savvy, instinctual Dončić? No, that honor belongs to J.J. Barea, the Mavericks’ long-time rotational mainstay. Even at the age of 34, Barea continues to terrorize second units with his controlled, but quick, playmaking abilities. The only players ahead of Barea (7.4) in the passing game at this point are all former All-Stars or highly-rated youngsters — Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry and Ben Simmons, to name a few — and this is in just 19 minutes off the bench, mind you. Simmons, still on a rookie deal, nearly doubles Barea’s current expiring contract ($3.7 million) and the rest of those names obviously dwarf the Puerto Rican’s paycheck as well.

With just four total turnovers on the season, Barea continues to grease the wheels with their regular ball-handlers indisposed at times. Barea tallied a career-high in both points (11.6) and assists (6.3) last season and it looks like he’s picked up right where he left off in April.

But Matthews and Barea aren’t the only underrated Mavericks members to post up on the early season leaderboards — that honor also belongs to Dwight Powell. In 2016, Dallas made the bold decision to re-sign Powell to the tune of four years and $37 million. For a player that had never averaged more than six points per game at that time, it was a head-scratcher by all accounts. Since then, the 27-year-old has improved in each successive season, topping out with a career-best 8.5 points and 5.6 rebounds over 21.2 minutes per game and 25 starts in 2017-18.

Despite his stature as a nearly-seven-foot behemoth, Powell has never been a particularly strong rebounder. But what he’s lacked in that department — and playing alongside Jordan will ease some of those concerns, surely — Powell makes up with his killer efficiencies. At 11.8 points in 15.6 minutes per game, not only does Powell take advantage of his modest playing time, but he’s stayed sizzling since the opening tip this month. In fact, his 77.8 percent rate ranks toward the peak of the entire NBA. If you dare to eliminate his one paltry attempt from deep every contest, which admittedly has never been his strong suit, Powell is sitting at 90.9 percent from two-point range as of now.

Whew — that’s pretty good, right?

Lastly, there’s Dorian Finney-Smith, the Mavericks’ defensive-minded small forward. After missing more than half of the 2017-18 season due to left knee quadriceps tendinitis, Finney-Smith made the most of his opportunity during Barnes’ early absence. Finney-Smith’s 32.3 minutes per game clocked in at third-most on the team before Friday. His ability to play strong, two-way basketball has made him a favorite of head coach Rick Carlisle. With so much offensive firepower already on the roster, Finney-Smith will never need to carry the load, leaving him to make disruptive defensive efforts and contribute within his role.

His improved preseason numbers — 8.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a steal per game on 41.7 percent from three — have carried over in a positive way for Dallas, more or less thriving in the biggest role he’s ever had professionally. With Barnes back in the mix, Finney-Smith will likely cool off — but he’ll still feature as a key bench cog with the aforementioned Barea and Powell, plus Maxi Kleber, rookie Jalen Brunson and Nowitzki, as the latter transitions to the twilight of his career.

Ultimately, much has been made of Dallas’ weak 5-18 record in games decided by five points or less in 2017-18 and they went to great lengths to address those issues during the offseason. Adding Dončić and Jordan alone should tip those scales back toward normalcy, but there’s plenty of love to go around within this healthy, flexible rotation. The budding potential of their starters will have the Mavericks eying the postseason — but if the franchise wants to actually get there, they’ll need the efforts of their unsung heroes to continue long into the winter months.

How The NBA Became The Most Betting-Friendly League In American Sports

The NBA has become synonymous with betting conversations during the Adam Silver era, with the league frequently being at the forefront of those discussions. Compared to the other professional sports leagues in the United States, the NBA has not only appeared to be the most progressive with regard to the topic, but it has also looked like the league that is the most likely to get further involved in the industry.

Of course, the league has placed a focus on sports betting, given that they have a vested interest in the continued legalization of that. They have mentioned that they would like a cut of NBA wagers placed, with the industry’s growth in the United States being something that the league could see improving the bottom-line.

Whether or not the NBA gets a piece of the action from a financial perspective, it is still surprising to see a major professional sports league in the United States willing to entertain the conversation at all. By comparison, the NFL has been largely afraid to discuss sports betting, while Major League Baseball has banned its all-time leading hitter for life for gambling-related offenses.

And it isn’t as if the NBA is only interested in gambling in the context of betting on NBA games. The league has relationships in the daily fantasy sports industry as well, with visibility for brands in that space seen in NBA arenas as well. And the NBA-subsidized WNBA is also a part of this betting-friendly basketball landscape, most notably in the form of a team named after a casino.

The Connecticut Sun is that team, as they play in the home of a popular casino in their area. Both the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury play in a venue named after a casino as well. And it is the casino industry that the NBA may conceivably expand into as their relationships in the betting industry appear to be growing in both quality and quantity. With the growth of online casinos, it isn’t impossible to envision the NBA encouraging its fans to compare the best casino bonuses to increase its market share in this growing industry.

Of course, with the betting renaissance that is going on in the United States at this time, the league is making sure that everyone knows that its integrity is not to be questioned. The league has made clear that they are going to ramp up the enforcement of its betting policies, to make sure that players aren’t compromising the game’s integrity. That move by the league is a smart one, as it makes sure that fans know that there is no reason to question the sport even if the league embraces betting.

The NBA is seeing progress across the sport, from its on-court evolution that prioritizes ball movement and long-range shooting, to its off-court stances on betting. Unlike the other major American sports, that willingness to evolve is part of what has caused the popularity of the NBA to skyrocket in recent years.

Joe Harris’ fortunes and those of the Brooklyn Nets appear to be traveling on the same trajectory. Harris’ personality and approach embody the softer side of the Brooklyn Nets’ team persona: he is loyal, hardworking and humble. And while Jared Dudley and DeMarre Carroll provide veteran leadership and Spencer Dinwiddie and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson offer personality, Harris provides a grounded approachability.

No one would blame him, though, if he develops a small ego. After all, Harris just received his formal introduction to the world, having won the NBA’s three-point championship last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s hard to deny that his star is rising.

And yet, Harris seems unaware that his status is rising.

“To be honest, I am solid in my role. That’s what I’m about,” Harris told Basketball Insiders before the Nets’ January 25 game against the Knicks. “I’m pretty realistic with where I view myself as a player. And I have the self-awareness to realize that I’m not a star player in this league by any means. I mean, I’m good in my role and I’m trying to take that to another level and be as complete as I can in my niche role that I have.”

While Harris’ comments could be misinterpreted as a humble brag, they shouldn’t be. He is simply a hard-working player who perhaps doesn’t quite realize everything he adds to his team. But let’s be clear, Harris’ presence absolutely improves the Nets’ play.

Harris boasts the second-best three-point percentage in the NBA (.471) through the first four months of the season; he trails only Victor Olapido and J.J. Reddick for top three-point percentage of all 48 players who have at least 10 “clutch” attempts from long-range and he’s ranked tenth in points per clutch possession (1.379).

He helps space the floor for teammates D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie, who take advantage of his long-range acumen by attacking an often less congested pathway to the hoop — and drives account for 53.4 percent of the Nets’ points (third in the entire league).

It is no surprise then that the Nets are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

“At the end of the day we’re just trying to go play good basketball.” Harris said. “The wins are a byproduct of that. It’s about staying locked into this process and how it’s gotten us here regardless of who is on the court.”

Harris’ dedication to the team and its process is becoming more unique each year as players hop from franchise to franchise more frequently than ever before. While Harris only joined the Nets in 2016, he was immediately seen as a key player by the Nets’ leadership, albeit one on a minimum deal – according to Kyle Wagner of the Daily News, Coach Kenny Atkinson saw a lot of Kyler Korver in his game and GM Sean Marks wanted him to study Danny Green.

And while Harris’ 2018-19 stats reflect similar production to the career highs of both of Korver and Green (13.2 points per game with an effective field goal percentage of .622 for Harris versus 14.4 points with an eFG% of .518 for Korver and 11.7 points with an eFG% of .566 for Green), at only 27 years old, he should only continue to improve.

A lot has changed in the two and a half seasons since Harris signed a free agent deal with the Nets, but one thing that hasn’t changed is his character.

“We had various deals that were shorter for more (money),” Harris said. “And some were longer and roughly the same, but this is where I wanted to be and I’m happy it ended up working out.”

Harris ultimately signed a two-year deal for approximately $16 million, which can be viewed as both cashing in, given where he was only two years ago (out of the league), and betting on himself, considering the short-term nature of the contract and his relative youth.

And what’s more, Harris will probably go down as a value signing for the Nets considering his versatility. After all, he is not merely a one-dimensional shooter. In fact, he is actually shooting slightly better than 60 percent on 3.2 attempts per game from the restricted area – which is better than All-Star teammate D’Angelo Russell (53 percent on 2.8 attempts). Further, Harris shoots a fair amount of his three-point attempts above the break, which is to say that he does not rely heavily on the shorter corner threes – which tend to be a more efficient means of scoring (1.16 vs. 1.05 points per possession league-wide from 1998-2018) as they are typically a spot where specialist players lurk awaiting an opening look.

The question is, how much more can we expect to see from Harris in the future? If you ask him, he’d probably undersell you on his ceiling and allude to steady progress that ultimately looks similar to what he’s done recently. But the only thing similar about Harris’ career production is that it has steadily improved – and that’s partially due to his process-oriented approach.

“We talked about it in the midst of the losing streak,” Harris said. “What are you going to change, what are you going to do (when you’re in a slump)? Not that we were going to do the exact same thing, but we felt like we were very process oriented. We felt like we were right there. Our whole thing was about being deliberate and doing it as consistently as possible.”

Harris sees the validity in repeating what works. And he’s figured that out, partially with the help of his teammates. Harris clearly values veteran input and team chemistry.

“You look at our team right now and we have really good veteran presences with Jared and DeMarre and Ed (Davis),” Harris said. “That’s the voice from the leadership standpoint. I’m learning from them just like DLo is. And all the other guys in the locker room are. They’re the guiding presence of what it is to be a professional and they keep everything even keel. They don’t go too low when things are tough, and they don’t let us get too high when things are going well.”

Harris is clearly a little uncomfortable taking credit for his team’s success, and he shies away from the spotlight a bit. He seems to prefer anonymity. But Harris should probably get used to the attention he’s received this season because it will only increase as his profile continues to rise as we enter the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

“He’s not just a shooter,” Atkinson told NBA.com last April. “He’s worked on his drive game, he’s worked on his finishing game. I think he’s worked on his defense. So just a complete player who fits how we want to play. He’s one of our most competitive players. Not a surprise watching, from the first day we had him, how locked in he was, how hungry he was. On top of it, he’s a top, top-ranked human being.”

So expect to see more of Joe Harris this April and beyond, but don’t be surprised by his humility. It’s one aspect about him that won’t change.

Opportunity is everything in the NBA. Last season’s implementation of two-way contracts gave a lot more players potential opportunities in the league that may not have been previously available.

One player who has used two-way contracts to showcase himself and really prove that he belongs in the NBA is Danuel House Jr.

House actually began his career two years ago as an undrafted rookie with the Washington Wizards. However, he suffered a wrist injury only about a month into the 2016-17 season.

He was subsequently cut by the Wizards and used the summer to heal up before joining the Houston Rockets for training camp prior to the start of last season. He ended up being one of the final cuts in camp, and he joined the Rockets’ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

His strong play earned him a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns after only two months of G League play. This year, he rejoined the Vipers, only to earn another two-way contract with the Rockets. Having had some experience now with a two-way, it’s something that House sees as being beneficial.

“It’s got its good perks and its bad perks. But then the NBA is just trying to open more doors for more guys to be seen and have an opportunity,” House told Basketball Insiders. “I think it’s a good idea, it’s gonna work the kinks out so it can be more beneficial to the players. It’s still new and it’s still trending and working itself through the NBA.”

This season has been a bit of a whirlwind for House. He initially joined the Golden State Warriors for training camp, only to have them cut him before the start of the season. After spending about a month with the Vipers, the Rockets called him up, only to cut him and then eventually re-sign him to a two-way deal.

Due to injuries in the Rockets lineup, House saw meaningful minutes right away, even being placed in Houston’s starting lineup. He had some solid performances down the stretch of last season with the Suns, but this season he really looked the part of a legitimate NBA rotation player.

When a player signs a two-way deal, they are allotted a maximum of 45 days of NBA service, meaning that the rest of the time they must remain in the G League. If a player exceeds the 45-day limit, they must be sent back down to the G League unless they’re able to reach an agreement on a standard contract with the NBA team.

Because of the Rockets’ necessity of House in the rotation, he used up his NBA days last month. He and the Rockets were unable to agree on a contract, so he returned to the G League with the Vipers. While there haven’t been many updates as of late, he’s still hopeful that something can work out with the Rockets.

“Hopefully I can go back to Houston and compete for a title. There’s nothing like learning from James [Harden] and Chris Paul, Gerald Green, Eric Gordon and those guys,” House told Basketball Insiders. “And now with the additions of [Iman] Shumpert and Kenneth Faried, I’m just excited to hopefully get something done so I can be out there and competing with those guys.”

Initially, House wasn’t playing with the Vipers upon returning to the team. But he made his return to the court a few weeks ago on Feb 8. In that game, House shook off some initial rust and ended up having a solid performance including hitting the game-winning free-throws.

In the past, the G League was often times seen as a punishment for NBA players. The league didn’t have that great of a reputation, but over the past few years that image has started to change. The competition has gotten a lot stronger, and according to House, there are plenty of guys who are that close to making it to the NBA.

“The competition here is real. There’s a lot of dudes out here that got a lot of talent that they can showcase. They just want their one opportunity, their one chance that I was so fortunate and blessed with,” House told Basketball Insiders. “I know not to come out here and take it for granted, that’s why I’m playing hard and of course still trying to be a student of the game and learn.”

Recently, during a media availability session, Rockets star and perennial MVP candidate James Harden expressed hope that the Rockets and House could work something out. Harden told reporters that they all know how good House is and what he brings to the team.

In 25 games for the Rockets this season – including 12 starts – House put up nine points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 39 percent from the three-point line. He’s in the mold of a three-and-D type player, but he also moves well without the ball on cuts to the rim and can attack the basket as well.

“My role was to play defense and make the right read,” House told Basketball Insiders. “Shoot when I’m open, drive, attack the rack, and run the floor. Of course, defend and rebound and make good reads. It was easy.”

As it stands, the Rockets have 12 players on their roster, and a pair of two-way deals for House and Vincent Edwards. House is not eligible to rejoin the Rockets until the G League season concludes. Even then, he won’t be eligible to play in the playoffs as per two-way deal restrictions.

The Rockets will need to add at least two players to get up to the league-mandated 14 players on the roster. House would appear to be a good candidate for one of those spots, but that remains to be seen. But regardless of whether or not it works out in Houston, House is confident that he’s done enough to prove he belongs in the NBA.

“It gave me the utmost confidence, but my hard work, my passion, and my faith in the man upstairs gave me the ability. I asked him to guide me through the journey and he’s been taking care of me,” House told Basketball Insiders. “I’m so grateful that the opportunities and I used my ability to perform and do something I love to take care of my family.”